Following the Meet the Midfielders post last week, Bay FC is excited to introduce you to six defenders to keep an eye on. Hailing from three different continents, Bay FC has quite a lineup of talent you can learn more about before watching them at Saturday’s match against North Carolina Courage.
- Hometown: Beaverton, OR
- Stats (2026): 13 games played, 1,170 minutes played, 13 starts
An Oregon native and team captain, Sydney Collins joined Bay FC after signing a two‑year contract through 2027 with a team option for 2028 in August 2025. She was traded from North Carolina Courage, where she played since 2023 as the eighth pick overall in the 2023 NWSL draft. Before that, she played at University of California, Berkeley from 2019 – 2022, where she often played, if not started, in all matches and helped Cal to the NCAA tournament berth in 2022.
Recently, the Canadian national joined the Canadian Women’s National Team during the April and June international breaks as well as spent time with family in Oregon.
- Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Stats (2026): 10 games played, 750 minutes played, 9 starts
A native of Buenos Aires, Aldana Cometti joined Bay FC in March of this year on a two‑year contract with a team option for 2028, after previously playing for French Première Ligue club FC Fleury. She’s known for her international experience, presence, and leadership, according to Head Coach Emma Coates. Before playing for the French club, she had stints in Argentina, Colombia and Spain; she even played with Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji in Madrid from 2022 to 2024. She’s represented Argentina on the women’s national team since 2014 and is one of the most decorated senior soccer players in her country’s history.
Most recently, she was called up to Argentina’s National Team during the international break in June, spent some time in the community at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula’s Summer Carnival, and even caught a few World Cup games.
- Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
- Stats (2026): 12 games played, 855 minutes played, 12 starts
Originally from San Jose, Joelle Anderson joined Bay FC as a midfielder in December 2023 in a trade with the Houston Dash, where she played since 2022. In 2025, she logged a career high of 1,286 minutes as well as 20 appearances, one goal, and two assists. Before that, she played college ball at Pepperdine from 2017 to 2021, earning All-West Coast Conference honors five times. She grew up cheering on her local teams, specifically joining her family at San Francisco Giants games as early as 5 years old and later Stanford women’s soccer games.
Recently, she switched positions from midfielder to defender. During the June break, she joined Cometti at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula’s Summer Carnival.
- Hometown: Elk Grove, Ill.
- Stats (2026): 6 games played, 61 minutes played, 0 starts
NWSL veteran Kelli Hubly is in her second season with Bay FC. In 2025, she tallied nine match appearances and her lone goal of the season took place in front of what was then the largest crowd to ever attend a women’s professional sports match in the United States. Prior to her tenure in the Bay, she spent eight seasons with the Portland Thorns FC where she won two NWSL Championships. In college, she played for the University of Kentucky from 2012 to 2014 and DePaul University from 2015 to 2016. She’s known for coming in and closing out games, and she also enjoys cooking and spending time with her Rottweiler Duke in her free time.
- Hometown: St Albans, England
- Stats (2026): 8 games played, 529 minutes played, 6 starts
An English native born in Düsseldorf, Germany, Anouk Denton was transferred to Bay FC from Women’s Super League club West Ham United in February of this year. Prior to joining, she previously worked with Coach Coates, who sees her as driven, professional and hardworking. She spent four seasons in East London as well as stateside for two seasons at the University of Louisville. She represented England on the youth national teams at the U-17, U-19 and U-23 levels. Her favorite soccer memory was playing pop-up soccer on family camping trips.
She spent June giving back to the Bay Area community, helping students improve their soccer skills at the Game On Clinic and design their own kits in partnership with Design FC.
- Hometown: Youngsville, LA.
- Stats (2026): 13 games played, 650 minutes played, 7 starts
Hailing from Louisiana, Maddie Moreau initially joined Bay FC as a preseason training camp invitee ahead of the club’s inaugural season in 2024. Before playing professionally, she played at Louisiana State University from 2019 – 2021 and West Virginia University from 2022 – 2023, helping the Mountaineers win the 2022 Big 12 Championship. Most recently, she donned the Bay FC Pride collection in June and got married in January.
Bay FC’s international team of defenders has created a world-class lineup of talent. To see them at their best, there are three more chances to see them this month, whether at home or on the road.
